Offroad-Express

we buildin up a escudo, but thinkin rather than a traler, use a a frame??

whats the rules and regs about these, the cars de-reged

No rules or reg's
Give LTSA a ring about it if you are unsure. They are helpful

The official reply I got from the LTSA was;

"The vehicle being towed must be in a fit state to be towed."
"The towing connection must be secure."

So, make sure no crap is falling off the thing, and make a strong A-frame

You don't even have to have lights! But I do, and would if I were you, safer for all concerned.

I would also make sure that the vehicle doing the towing is ten times bigger than the one being towed around.

It helps

Its funny really - the rules are changing to the point where you almost need cert if you change the seatcovers in a 4WD - yet you can a-frame anything you like...

Pretty much as stated tho - you need it to be road-safe (however you interpret that) and it needs to be coupled in a secure manner (again, open to interpretation).

I believe it also needs to have lights - which you can do by either splicing into your existing lighting loom or just get a light-board from a boating shop (or make one).

Of course, all this information is only going to be any use if you are going to post pics of the project

Steve

Just dug up the e-mail I got sent.......

Hello Bruce,

Thank you for your enquiry in regard to towing your recreational vehicle with an A-frame. I advise as follows :-
Land Transport New Zealand has researched this matter with NZ Police recently in response to concerns expressed by members of the public that A-frame towing was not legal. The Police response to this was that they have no problem with it so long as it is carried out in a safe manner
Land Transport New Zealand recommends that a safety check is carried out on the towed vehicle to ensure it is fit to be towed, and that the towing equipment is in good order, and that the safety chain(s) is/are correctly applied
A vehicle under tow is not required to be registered or warranted, but must be in a safe condition to be towed as above
A vehicle that has its own motive power source can not be a trailer according to the Traffic Regulations 1976, and therefore your vehicle cannot be registered as a trailer, but it can be towed with an A-frame or tow rope.
You may wish to operate your vehicle as an All Terrain Vehicle. The requirements for these are available at http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/factsheets/19.html This may give you some cheaper registration options.
I trust that this answers your enquiry

Regards

Colin Hainsworth
Technical Information Advisor
Land Transport New Zealand
Vehicle Certification Unit
Tourism and Travel House
79 - 82 Boulcott Street
Wellington
PO Box 2840
New Zealand
http://www.landtransport.govt.nz

sounds good to me, might sound a bit dumb, but is it only the draw bar you make up? and leave the keey in to avoid steering lock or? never seen this type of thing up close

ps, would show the build... but reele.... its a 4 dor AUTO escudo that is missing half its roof and has achieve to get it self ahold of a litre of bog and i bent tow hook from towing it out of grevel

needs more work, nothing compared to wat you guys build, its my mates car and money...im building it and getting the use of it since his wife just had a kid... fair deal to me


you guys are a good help!

be careful if you are going to a frame it as its not great to tow autos for any great distance and at any speed greater than 40 kmh

Towing an Auto Ummmmmmmmmmm me thinks you need to trailer that baby

Bubba wrote:Towing an Auto Ummmmmmmmmmm me thinks you need to trailer that baby

Undo the rear driveshaft only 4 bolts... or leave transfercase in neutral

apparently the suzuki autos are good for a framing that is why a lot of motor homes tow them

Yep susuki's are great at being towed

wjw wrote:

Bubba wrote:Towing an Auto Ummmmmmmmmmm me thinks you need to trailer that baby

Undo the rear driveshaft only 4 bolts... or leave transfercase in neutral

anNnnd back to square one... um lol you think its still safe enough in nuetral?

sig wrote:be careful if you are going to a frame it as its not great to tow autos for any great distance and at any speed greater than 40 kmh

Bubba wrote:Towing an Auto Ummmmmmmmmmm me thinks you need to trailer that baby

Not always true. It is recommended to put the auto transmission into "D" or "P" and leave the transfer case in neutral. This way the driveshafts are out of action.

Whilst this is true, there are some particular requirements and things to think about. For example, for how long will you be towing at a time time (long distance, no oiling of components within the driveline) and whether the front hubs are locked or free-wheeling. Taking the driveshafts off is also highly recommended, but is it practical for a day trip.

tallsam66 wrote:Yep susuki's are great at being towed

They are towed around because they are small and light. There is no sense in wasting your camper van's horsepower on towing a LWB Cruiser or a Hippo

were in hamilton, the track that hamilton drivers use is say 45mins tops, including accross town and the grevel road the the track... i spose once its got the bigger wheels on it, it wouldnt be major to rip the driveshaft out but i mean, little bit of a hassel everytime, but hey, cheaper than a bigger trailer to fit it on

For such a short distance, it shouldn't be too much dramas with driveline components becoming dry without oil circulating. Perhaps try it with auto in drive and transfer case in neutral and see how it feels. Don't go excessive speeds and make sure handbrake is down and steering wheel is unlocked. If manual hubs, unlock them as well.

PS: I am not an expert in this area, so my advice is limited to my humble observations of what others have done. Furthermore, I rely on internet for some of my "wisdom", all limitations inherent with internet being reliable also apply.

I would tow it with the auto in park and the transfer case in neutral. This way the auto isnt moving at all

Someone correct me if im wrong but it doesnt matter if you have the auto in D,P,1,2,3,4 or R when the transfer case is in neutral as there is no drive to the gearbox from the wheels when transfer is in neutral.

Mike

mike wrote:Someone correct me if im wrong but it doesnt matter if you have the auto in D,P,1,2,3,4 or R when the transfer case is in neutral as there is no drive to the gearbox from the wheels when transfer is in neutral.

Mike

can still turn due to friction in the transfer case I think? not much though, as long as teh transfer case is in neutral its all good

turoa wrote:

mike wrote:Someone correct me if im wrong but it doesnt matter if you have the auto in D,P,1,2,3,4 or R when the transfer case is in neutral as there is no drive to the gearbox from the wheels when transfer is in neutral.

Mike

can still turn due to friction in the transfer case I think? not much though, as long as teh transfer case is in neutral its all good

It shouldn't really matter, but mostly people recommend to be in either D or P with the autos. Its supposed to keep things happy.

Was told to leave automatic Nissan Atlas running, in neutral while A framing it behind tractor on the road. Would be fine at speeds over 30kph. Atlas is only 2wd though so no transfer case to select neutral